Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Is Alvarez Getting the Itch to Coach Again?

Barry Alvarez back in coaching? Absolutely. The Wiz made that bold prediction last November. And now there are rumblings that Alvarez could be in line to take over at Miami if Larry Coker is fired. The Alvarez-to-Miami talk has been around for some time, fueled by Alvarez's connection with Miami president Donna Shalala, who was chancellor at Wisconsin when Alvarez came aboard. Now this is where it gets interesting. Tom Dienhart of the Sporting News says if Alvarez becomes the Miami coach and athletic director, look for him to bring Iowa State coach Dan McCarney along as defensive coordinator. McCarney, the dean of Big 12 coaches who is close to losing his job, would ascend to the head coaching slot when Alvarez slides up to the athletic director's chair. Dienhart also has plenty of other tidbits from the coaching carousel, including word that the Michigan State job is Steve Mariucci's to take.Update: Iowa State's McCarney is stepping down, according to KCCI Des Moines.